Change Of Heart, Or Fall Apart?
by MysticMagically
Summary: Honesty, Kim enjoyed spending quality time with her sister. After all, she just graduated high school, and had big plans with her life afterwards, going to college and all. She felt closer to Cleo, in a way. But in that moment.. She didn't realize that she was going to become a whole lot closer to her sister than she had ever before. (Recently changed name of story)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everyone! So this is my first fanfiction! I would often wonder how Kim and the rest of Cleo's family would react to her secret being revealed, and, have always wanted to see it in the show. Looking through stories, they're not many out there in relation to this topic (especially through Kim's thought process), so I thought I might add on! Hope you enjoy!**

Cleo found herself in a state of vulnerability. It was supposed to be an unforgettable moment between her and her family, and it turned out to be, although not exactly for the right reasons.

She had just finished high school and, after the graduation party, wanted to spend the rest of her evening with Lewis, her father, Sam, and even if she loathed to admit it, Kim. After the events that had occurred the days beforehand at Mako Island, she was eager to spend some time with those she loved. Although her family was both surprised and confused by her sudden interest in doing something so ordinary when the biggest day of her life called for a momentous occasion, she replied rather cryptically that every small moment counts.

It was a bit last minute for the rest of Sertori family, as Don and Sam had to attend to late night shifts to make up for missing work for her daughter's graduation, and Kim had plans with friends to go to an 'End of Year School Party'.

"Dad, would it be at all possible… if we, rented a movie tonight?" Cleo had suggested to her father.

"And by 'we' you mean you and Bella and Rikki? Of course you can, Cleo. Having another slumber party again?"

"Well, actually, I was thinking we could watch something together, as a family… Just the five of us?"

"Five of us?"

"Yep! Just you, me, Kim, Sam…."

Just then, the door opened to reveal Lewis, who was holding a pillow and several small microwavable bags of popcorn. His smile let on both oblivion and innocence.

"And Lewis!" Cleo finished. "I wanted to invite him over before he leaves for the airport in the morning."

"Hi, Mr. Sertori!"

Don looked towards Lewis and then sympathetically towards his eldest daughter's brown eyes. "Cleo, I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to have a raincheck on that. It's hard enough having to fish at night for income, when they don't really bite, but missing out altogether is missing out on a paycheck. I can't afford to miss my shift. And Sam…."

"She has to go in for her annual dine in with the rest of the Geography Institute, I understand." Cleo finished.

Just as Don packed up the rest of his supplies, Kim headed down the steps and advanced for the door. Don immediately heard the footsteps, and without having to glance at her, Don started.

"And just where do you think you are going, Kim?"

"To meet my friends. We were just going out to a party-"

"To a party, you say? I think you and I both remember fondly what happened last time you snuck out a party without my acknowledgement. And I _will_ happily do it again."

Both Cleo and Kim stared at each other, remembering equally how embarrassing their father was to them, when Kim pretended to be sick in order to sneak out to a party, that had been staged in order for Cleo, Bella and Rikki to avoid the full moon. In the end, Mr. Sertori had found out and had decided to humiliate the sisters by singing karaoke the whole night through.

"But Dad-" Kim whined.

"No buts… You are not going…. Why don't you stay and watch a movie with Cleo and Lewis? Sam and I will be gone for a bit and at least I'll know where my daughter is while we're tending to work." Don decided.

Though she didn't admit it out loud, Cleo was a little disappointed with the notion that Kim was staying. At least if Sam and her dad were there with her, they would have defended Cleo or scolded Kim for the cocky remarks Cleo was certain she was going to make concerning either her or Lewis. However, she silently accepted for Lewis and her relationship's sake. She didn't want Kim to come between her and Lewis on their final day together for a while.

After a bit of disapproval, the feisty young teen finally resigned. "Fine…"

"Good."

He quickly kissed both girls on the check and waved as he went out the door. Immediately, Kim bolted to the back door with her bag, but Lewis cut her off.

"That wouldn't be such a good idea, if I were you." he stated.

Kim groaned and slumped down into a chair.

"Okay, but I'm choosing the movie we watch.."

Cleo, Lewis and Kim had a relatively good time during the movie. The young couple nuzzled noses oftentimes and would cuddle as soon as the emotional scenes came on. Kim checked her phone every few minutes or so, looking at what she was missing at the party, but truth be told, it felt nice to be with he sister. After all, she just graduated high school, and had big plans with her life afterwards, going to college and all. She felt closer to Cleo.

She didn't realize that she was going to become a whole lot closer to her sister than she had ever before.

It happened during the credits, Kim had decided to open up a new can of soda. It dropped on the ground, and Kim slowly picked it up.

Cleo started to clean up scattered popcorn around the area after their movie and had went to throw it away, passing Kim as she was just opening her drink by the counter.

 _And just as it exploded_.

Cleo's nerves were at full alarm as soon as she felt the drink spill all over her head and torso. However, she was shocked in the moment, and couldn't feel her feet moving. She glanced at Lewis.

10...9….

Lewis immediately caught on…. She wouldn't have time to make it upstairs. She had to take her chances to the closest room in the house. Cleo raced there, trying to be careful not to slip over the rest of the drink, which had exploded to various areas on the kitchen floor.

"GO!"

8….7….6….

"Geez, it's just soda. It'll come right out. Where are you going anyway?" She caught a look over at Cleo.

5….4….3….

Cleo was incredibly close to the bathroom, but slipped just as she made it to the hallway. She landed face first on the floor and let out an oof.

2….

Kim heard Cleo's fall, and went over to try to help her up. Lewis, knowing how dangerously close she was to finding out what her sister actually was, acted on this.

"S-so Kim, why don't you tell me about these family photographs? They must be… really something…."

"You are SO weird, Lewis."

1….

Cleo felt the change. She tried to get up but found that her limbs and knees were nonexistent, and were instead replaced by a golden tail.

"I'm going to check on Cleo. Knowing her, she's probably made a huge fool of herself, as always."

 _Dang it,_ Cleo muttered. She frantically hoisted herself up so her back was on the floor, and quickly grabbed a towel near the sink and began drying herself off.

Lewis held Kim back. Cleo watched helplessly from behind the counter tops, rubbing the towel against her stubborn tail furiously. Any minute, she'd be seen by the one person who would use all means to get her in trouble, and there'd be no way she could explain this one.

"N-no! I just w-wanted to know if..."

"If what?" Kim was almost certain that Lewis was trying to keep her from something, but at the moment she didn't care. He could have his little charade.

"...you thought of me as a brother?" Lewis added.

"What? No, why would I? Look, just because you are Cleo's little pet who follows her around, does NOT mean that we are anything more than just strangers, a stranger who happens to be dating my sister."

Kim's insecurities were as out in the open as they could get. She walked away from the living room, towards the kitchen. Cleo couldn't help herself, she had to defend her boyfriend.

"Kim, enough with the insults! Lewis is my boyfriend, and whether you like him or not, I don't care."

Lewis could only help but stare at what was about to unfold, any second and she would notice that Cleo was still in the kitchen, tail and all.

Cleo's response only made Kim move faster, past the kitchen, towards the stairs. She was puzzled over the fact that judging by the sound of her voice, she hadn't gotten up yet.

 _Whatever,_ she thought to herself. _Let her make a fool of herself._ _As soon as Dad gets home..._

Kim quickly stomped up a few steps, before she realized that she had just past Cleo….

 **Ah, I love creating suspense. It's always so fun to formulate these kinds of stories. Let me know if you want me to continue it, I have a few ideas for one or two more chapters. Also, please review! It informs me whether or not I'm doing a good job storytelling wise, which can help me to grow from past experiences. Who knows, I may do shoutouts. I'll probably look back at this 8 years later and know it's garbage, lol.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Heya Guys! Thank you so much for reviewing and favoriting and all that jazz! I decided to post the next chapter. I have to admit, this one was a little difficult to write, I wanted to try to make it sound as fluent as possible, but I think some moments were written a little more awkwardly than others. I think I might close this story off and start a new one that I've been working on for about a week now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Cleo? Where the heck are you? I thought I heard you-" She instantly shut her mouth after turning around and noticing her sister collapsed on the floor, but from her range of vision, she couldn't see the rest of her body. "Are you okay? Are you going to stand up or something?"

"I, well, I can't exactly, get up." Cleo stammered, hoping that Kim would just dismiss it and head up to her room. Instead she began walking over towards her sister, puzzled as to what could possibly keep her in such an awkward position. After all, it was just a small can of soda, there wasn't much spillage anyway.

"N-no!"

Despite her sister's protests, Kim headed straight for the kitchen, before Lewis flung himself in front of his girlfriend, and out of view. "Wait! I mean, I'm sure she's fine, she's.." He trailed off after realizing how ridiculous he sounded, they really were working their way down to their last resort. She clearly wasn't going to let this go.

"Lewis, step away. She was bound to find out about it sooner or later. We're only trying to delay the inevitable." Cleo exhaled, letting out the breath she was holding in for the last minute.

"What do you mean? If this is some kind of sick joke.."

"No Kim, it's not. And I really don't want you to freak out about this, please." Although she had a feeling that it wouldn't end well, she motioned for Lewis to step aside, and he reluctantly did.

It took a moment for her to process what she saw, but after she did, her eyes widened with a type of shock that couldn't be recreated in any other circumstance. It was a mix between horror, confusion, stun, and awe, and Cleo couldn't tell which one was more apparent. She immediately regretted it as Kim reached for her phone, slowly going through her contacts until she reached her father's.

"Kim! No! Please!" She practically begged, panic expressed through her voice. She had never felt so helpless and exposed in front of her sister, and she had never seen her sister so hysteric, almost fearful of her, making Cleo feel so much worse.

Kim looked towards Cleo again, her alarm dissipating, and instead being replaced by a slight sense of pity. She couldn't ignore the growing thought in the back of her conscious, about what might happen if she told her father about what she had seen, and how he might act around her sister. She slowly put down her phone, and ran up towards her room. Lewis shot a glance between Kim and Cleo, before the remaining drops of soda evaporated off Cleo's body, as she regained her legs.

"That went well…"

"I just.. I thought it was time. She would've probably seen me anyway."

"At least she didn't call your dad."

"Yeah, Lewis, but you saw the way she looked at me. It was like she was _afraid_ of me."

"Do you remember when I found out? I hate to admit it now, but it came as quite the surprise for me, and I was a little scared, but more out of concern for you. Just give it time, let her think things through, she'll come around."

"Did I do the right thing?"

"There really is no right or wrong in this situation, Cleo. Like you said, she had to find out eventually. Although it wasn't the best method of delivery, it came out, and that's what matters."

There was a long pause between the couple, and Lewis cut it off.

"I suppose you two will want some time to talk it out. I'll get out of your hair."

"But, you're going to leave in the morning."

"I am, but I promise I'll have the rest of the time before we head off to the airport to ourselves. This is more important."

"I'm sorry, Lewis. I made an irrational choice, you shouldn't have had to cover for me."

"Well, what choice did you have? It was either get caught intentionally or accidentally. To be honest, I don't think I would've been able to improvise long enough anyway." He held her close to his chest in a warm embrace, remaining there until they heard the door open. Don and Sam entered through it, and they split apart.

"Hello darling, how was the movie?" Mr. Sertori greeted his daughter, who smiled sheepishly.

"It was good. One of the more emotional movies out there, but rather enjoyable."

She looked up to see Kim standing at the edge of the stairs, and immediately felt nervous, wondering if she was going to tell them her secret.

"Ah, Kim, how'd your night go?"

"Actually, Dad, about tonight." She met Cleo's gaze, before continuing. "It was surprisingly fun."

Relief flooded through Cleo, and she whispered her gratitude towards her sister. Her father and stepmother exchanged a wholehearted laugh.

"Well, in that case, I trust that you two will be doing things like this more often." He looked expectantly at the two siblings, who both nodded.

"I think that's my cue to leave." Lewis quickly reminded Cleo, giving her a hug and moving towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

The door shut behind him, as Kim interrupted the silence that flooded the room.

"Cleo? Would you mind if I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure." Cleo figured that Kim wanted to talk to her about what had happened, and followed her sister up the stairs and towards her room, sitting down on the bed.

"So.. um.." She began, not knowing what to say.

"I just have a few questions, if you don't mind.." Kim asked, rather shyly, which was quite uncommon for the normally extroverted and independent teenager.

"Sure, fire away." Cleo noticed this, and wanted to make the atmosphere as comfortable as possible, so she could feel much more at ease around her.

"How long have you been like this? I assume for quite a bit of time. You've always been so afraid around water, but it only reached its peak a little more recently."

"I was around your age when it happened, three years ago. You remember when the Water Police knocked on the door really late at night, don't you?"

"Yeah. Dad was furious with you. Was that when it happened?"

She dipped her head in affirmation and went on with her story. "Well, I was at Mako Island that night, I fell into a hole, and found myself in a cave. It turned out that the cave led to a cavern within the crater of a volcano where a pool of water connected to the ocean. I went into this pool just as the full moon overlooked the center the crater, and something… magical happened. The next day I had a tail."

"Wait a moment, that time I found your diary, that was actually real, and wasn't an English assignment?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry I had to lie to you about that. It just would've been too hard telling you or Dad."

"How did you avoid the water at the Sea Queen Pageant though? You change every time you touch water, don't you?"

"Watch." She raised her hand and twisted it, focusing her energy on a neglected cup of water on her nightstand. Kim watched as a column of water towered up to the ceiling, before dropping down back into the glass. "I used my powers to keep the water from spraying me."

"I don't get it though. Why didn't you tell me or Dad? Why did you start closing up?"

"Ever since this had happened, I really have been wanting to tell you, Dad and Sam, but I thought that you three wouldn't understand, so I knew it wasn't an option."

"It's just, I knew you had a secret. You were always off doing things with your friends and locking yourself in the bathroom, I guess I just felt left behind, like I was unimportant. That was when I really started to seclude myself, reassure myself that I could forget my displeasure with things, almost like distractions. When Mum left, I dug myself into a deeper hole. I felt sorry for myself and refused to make any connections, I saw how easy you had adjusted and began to take it out on you. I didn't think I was hurting anyone."

"Oh, Kim, I really didn't know you felt that way. I'm really sorry that I did that, I wasn't there for-" Cleo felt Kim grasp her tightly, beginning to sob a bit in her hold. She returned the hug, and glanced towards her bedroom door, where Don and Sam were standing. They stayed there for a few minutes, not wanting to let each other go.


End file.
